


The Date

by dandelionblizzard



Series: binary boyfriends [8]
Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Motorcycles, Sexuality Crisis, Truth or Dare, movie date, the minor relationship is Chris/Mitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28863090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionblizzard/pseuds/dandelionblizzard
Summary: Hawk is dared to go on a date with Demetri, and reluctantly complies. The kicker comes when they have to provide photo evidence.
Relationships: Demetri/Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: binary boyfriends [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104647
Comments: 14
Kudos: 101





	1. The Dare

“Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“You have to... go on a date with Demetri.” Sam said.

Hawk was surprised: “What?”

“I guess I get no say in this?” Demetri added.

“That’s the dare,” she stated.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, guys,” Miguel said, “It’s just a dumb game.”

“Unless you don’t want us to call you two wusses. Then I’d advise you do it.” threatened Chris. Mitch laughed cruelly and put an alarm around Chris’s side.

“Well, that certainly justifies the date then,” Demetri answered sarcastically.

“I’ve never been one to back down from a dare,” Hawk smugged.

“Good,” Sam said, “But remember, you have to send us pictures as proof.”

“Pictures of what?”

“You two kissing.” God, Sam was cruel when she got drunk.

“Isn’t this fetishising guys who like guys?” Demetri had a point there.

“We’re cool with it.” Mitch said, a dumb smirk stretching across his face.

Hawk sighed. On the inside his sigh was much larger and more frustrated. Couldn’t the Miyagi-dos come up with some better dares? He knew they were part of the same dojo now but the divide was still present, at least in attitude.

“Where are we gonna go - a movie?” he asked.

“Sure. I’ve been wanting to see the latest garbage they’re pumping out these days.” Could Demetri say something with earnesty? Was he even capable of it?

“They have a rerun of Rocky Horror,” Chris added suggestively. “You could dress for the part.”

“As fun as it would be wearing women’s underwear, I have a better idea,” Hawk retorted, to the amusement of the group. “There’s another rerun - Inception. Thursday night at 8:45.”

“Sounds good. Will you pick me up or meet me there?”

Hawk gave Demetri a look that said _don’t encourage them_.

In reply, he sighed and said, “As much as I hate to say it, you’re clearly supposed to be ‘the man’ in this little arrangement they’ve cooked up. I’m just going along with it. Look - you can pick me up at 8.”

“Yeah - and you can hang on real tight on the back of his bike.” Mitch smiled at Chris’ comment and added, “Hope you don’t hit too many bumps.”

The tag team assault by Chris and Mitch was too much, so Hawk made an excuse to go home. What the hell was up with everyone? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard them whispering about him and Demetri a few times between sparring matches, but this? Mitch and Chris had set a precedent of old friends turned enemies turned lovers and apparently that could just apply to everyone and anyone. Hawk got on his bike - he was a little drunk, but probably fine to drive the distance home. There were only two nights until the date. He put his helmet on and drove off into the darkness.


	2. The Styling

Hawk was examining his hair in the mirror. There wasn’t very long until he had to leave - at least not in hair hours - so he had to get started. He laid out all his products on the sink before he realised it.The helmet would crush his hair. He could always ride without... The potential brain damage was too much to risk. He had to style it down. Shit.

The only time he wore it down was around the house, when nobody could see. He sometimes wore it in a ponytail. Was that too... It was the only thing that would keep his hair out of his face and work with the helmet - therefore the only option he had. He grabbed a hair tie and pulled it back. It didn’t look very good. Why did it matter anyway? It’s not a real date or anything. He could at least get it centred. He undid it and pulled his hair back into place. And again. And again.

In total he spent half as much time as he would normally spend on his liberty spikes getting his ponytail looking decent. Finally, when he was satisfied, he gave himself a once-over in the mirror. His gaze landed on his scar. Was it looking more red? He tore his eyes away and left to get dressed.

Essentially, the only bottoms he owned now were black sweatpants so he put a pair on (with underwear, despite the name he’s not an animal!). Hawk went over to his closet, and reached for the black and red tie-dye hoodie. _I wore this at the party_. That would probably bring up memories for both of them. He moved his hand over to a sporty striped bomber jacket. _This makes my shoulders look small._ He was thinking about this way too much. Hawk was overwhelmed by choices. Closing his eyes, he blindly felt around and pulled something out. A black Vans tshirt. Sure. He also pulled out a red sweatshirt just in case it was cold in the theatre. It was too hot now though, so he tied it around his hips.

He went back to look in the mirror. Aside from the ponytail, he didn’t look too bad. He still felt a strange jitter, faint but present. It was the ponytail.

It had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter is short but the next one is chunky!


	3. The Money Shot

Hawk pulled up to Demetri’s house, and sent him a text. He wasn’t kept waiting long before the other boy walked out.

“Hey buddy!” Demetri shouted as he approached.

“You don’t have to ‘buddy’ me already. I thought we’d wait til after to call each other bro and man every other sentence.”

“Sorry.” Demetri stood wringing his hands a respectable distance from the bike.

“You getting on?”

He dug under his nails. “Y’know what? I could probably just Photoshop it. Then we don’t have to do any of this.”

“Just get on the bike. I don’t back down from dares; I’m not a pansy.”

“What’s your plan then? They’re gonna harass us every day until they get to see us kiss.”

Hawk glared at him. “We’re going.” He held out the spare helmet for emphasis.

Demetri snatched the helmet, shoved his head in and climbed on the back. He wrapped his arms around Hawk’s waist. It was warm, and weird. Weird to have someone touch him in a gentle way and not a punching way. He thinks back to when he said he’d have a whole lineup of girls this year, just waiting to do things to him. Instead, he hadn’t been touched like that by anyone except Moon. He starts the bike, and pulls away at speed. Demetri instinctively grabs on firmer. Hawk both barely feels it because his stomach is so, so tight, and minutely feels every single place they’re touching each other. They turn a corner and Demetri shifts closer (as if that were possible!) and Hawk is suddenly glad the sweatshirt around his waist is there as another layer between them. He resolves to focus on the road.

They pull up into a space in the mall parking lot. Demetri almost seems to forget what to do once they’ve stopped. Hawk finishes taking off his helmet before Demetri releases him from his grip. He thinks about making a smartass comment but decides that whatever he said wouldn’t be worth increasing the tension.

“Can we talk now?” Demetri said as they walked through the mall.

Hawk nodded, not turning to the boy next to him.

“I was thinking - maybe we should just get it over with before the movie. That way we’re not thinking about it the whole time.”

“You sound excited to do this.”

“Trust me - I’m eager to get back to convincing Yasmin to let me take her out in public. I’m sure you have some girl to meet up with too.”

“It’s hard when they think I’m covered in piss,” Hawk spat. He really shouldn’t have stoked the fire like that but he couldn’t help it. It was true.

For once, Demetri was silent. They got on the escalator up and walked into the theatre.

“Do you wanna get the popcorn?” Hawk asked quietly.

“Sure,” Demetri answered stiffly, and wandered off to the popcorn stand. Hawk sauntered up to the counter and bought the tickets.

They would be seated in the back of the theatre. He’d made out with Moon there once. That fact made him feel uneasy as he walked back over to Demetri. He looked up at him and noticed his lips. Fuck, why were they so in his head? Maybe Demetri was right. Maybe they should just do it now, get it over with...

“What theatre is it?”

“Theatre 7.”

Demetri started walking away, and Hawk stood there a second before following. He would be thinking about it the whole movie.

They sat down. The previews were already playing. That was when it hit him - the idea of a lifetime. They could do it in the dark. Then it wouldn’t be so much like kissing your ex-best friend, more like kissing a stranger.

“Hey. Let’s do it here,” he offered.

“Right now?”

“When the lights go down. That way-“

“That way we can pretend it’s someone else. Right.”

Hawk reached into the popcorn and threw a few pieces into his mouth. There was an advertisement for placing advertisements. How meta.

Hawk noticed Demetri shifting in the chair next to him. He instead opted for sitting stiffly even though he was in an awfully uncomfortable position. Finally, the message to turn your phones off. That reminded him,

“Which one of us is taking the photo?”

“I can,” Demetri offered. He pulled out his phone and rested it on his knee. The lights faded. On screen, Leonardo DiCaprio was waking up on a beach. Hawk turned to look at Demetri. In the soft light, he could almost pretend he was somebody else. Still a guy though. He hadn’t really worked through that yet.

Demetri took a deep breath and turned to him. Hawk hesitated, then reached an arm out to rest his hand on the back of Demetri’s neck. This wasn’t strictly necessary, but it would make sure he couldn’t back out at the last minute. Apparently Demetri was thinking the same thing as he placed a hand on his shoulder, ready to pull him back in if he tried to escape. They had to do this tonight or they’d be hearing about it for who-knows-how-long.

Hawk shifted so he could get a better angle, and leaned in. Demetri opened the camera app on his phone, then turned back towards him and leaned in as well. The distance seemed so long, and yet he was so close to kissing his best friend- no, it wasn’t, it was a tall, dark and handsome guy under the cover of darkness-

Hawk didn’t have time to picture anyone else before their lips met. He closed his eyes so he wouldn’t be staring right at Demetri, who was presumably straining his eyes to get them centred in the shot. He tried not to move, but he was starting to get pins and needles racing their way up his leg. Hawk attempted the feat of keeping his head still while moving his leg so the blood could circulate, and failed. His lip slid between Demetri’s, just a little. It was warm. So warm, and so soft. Softer than Moon’s somehow. He probably used lipbalm and all that moisturiser bullshit, even more than she did. He suddenly felt conscious of his own lips, chapped and harsh in comparison. Not to mention his scar. How many photos did Demetri need to take?

Finally, Demetri tapped his shoulder and pulled back. He showed Hawk the screen, swiping through a few of the pictures. They were dimly lit but still definitely the two of them. It looked like Demetri closed his eyes too. Better that way, the group might say they didn’t put enough passion into it, and make them do it again. Which Hawk didn’t want. Definitely.

Definitely didn’t want to feel those soft, full lips against his again. But maybe he would buy some chapstick later.

“I’ll send these to the groupchat,” Demetri whispered. “Then we’ll be done with... this.”

Hawk nodded, remembering that staring was rude, and pivoted back to the screen. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the light of Demetri’s phone shut off. Sent. Done. No more needed to be said.

Good.

After a few minutes had passed (he timed it in his head) he left to go to the bathroom. In the stall, he pulled out his phone and checked his messages.

Mitch: niiiice

Sam: you can barely see! you two are lucky this time. i might have to make you take another photo...

Miguel: you can see fine sam. no more photos

Hawk scrolled back up to examine the images. His thumb slipped and saved a few of them to his phone - whoops. There was one in particular where they both looked pretty into it - Demetri had his eyes closed, hand on Hawk’s shoulder, thumb slipping into his shirt collar - he didn’t remember that happening. Meanwhile Hawk was blushing so hard you could see it like a glowing beacon. He scrolled through Instagram for a bit, not really looking at anything, then decided that he paid for the ticket, so he might as well try to watch the movie. He splashed some water on his face and tried to pull it together.

Hawk sank back down in his seat, Demetri not commenting on how long he was gone. He made a mental note to check every time he reached for popcorn that Demetri wasn’t also doing the same. In the movie, DiCaprio was in the elevator of his mind, traversing the depths to see his dead wife. In Hawk’s mind, he was pushing everything down to the lowest level he could. It kept rising back up like a sponge - it couldn’t be crushed, or destroyed. Damn. That was Hawk’s specialty.

But a sponge could be burned. He just needed to fuel the fire.

Always start with the kindling. Demetri was only doing this for the photo. It was just a dare.

Then the twigs. Demetri had a girlfriend. He was both taken, and almost certainly straight.

Then some small branches. Even after the house fight, they weren’t by any means close. They never hung out except in a group setting.

Finally, logs. Demetri and Hawk’s relationship would never recover from what he did. It’s all Hawk’s fault. They could never even be good friends again, let alone whatever pathetic bullshit Hawk had in mind.

He sat there, a fire raging bright that nobody else could see. The sponge was burning, but so was the rest of him. He almost felt like he could cry - and that was nearly impossible after what Kreese had drilled into him. The tears could extinguish the fire. They wouldn’t come. As ineloquent as it was, Sensei Lawrence might describe it as blue balls but for crying. The metaphor was accurate, at least.

He realised he was tapping his hand fast on the armrest. Hawk turned to Demetri and saw him looking right back. His face was pretty expressionless, maybe a hint of concern. Even though he complained constantly, Demetri wasn’t one to express strong emotion.

Hawk didn’t look away, in fact couldn’t. Demetri’s eyes were like deep pools of treacle. He didn’t want to look away either, it seemed. And maybe, just maybe, he was leaning towards Hawk.

The gunfire snapped them back to the screen.

They managed to watch the rest of the movie in peace. There was a lot of action, and a lot of time logic you had to pay attention to, so it was a good enough distraction. Before they knew it, the end credits were rolling, and the lights were fading back up.

Hawk led the way back to the parking lot. They were silent all the time. Hawk was trying to think of some joke to lighten the mood, or shift this weight off him, but every possibility seemed so flirty all of a sudden. He grabbed his helmet and swung a leg over the bike. On the drive home, he could have sworn that Demetri was clinging on tighter. It was probably just his imagination.

He let Demetri off at his house. Demetri handed the spare helmet to Hawk and took a few steps back, looking like he was backing away but maybe wanted to say something.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” He finally asked.

“Well, if that’s how you kiss Yasmin, I don’t know how you’re still together,” Hawk jabbed. Was that too much? And bringing her up - masochism at it’s finest.

Demetri laughed too loud, and too high, it was almost a giggle. “Don’t worry, there’s more tongue involved.”

He rolled his eyes, and did not think about Demetri’s tongue. “Bye, Demetri.”

“Bye.” He turned away and left to the door. In a romcom (not that Hawk would ever watch that pussy shit) this would be where he’d run up to the door, stop him in his tracks, and-

This was real life. Probably - having just watched Inception wasn’t helping right now. He stared at Demetri for too long, until he was inside, and then drove away. He had a lot of unpacking to do tonight, and he figured getting started sooner meant he’d be done with these stupid feelings all the more quickly. Definitely some drinking was in order. Maybe even a little you-know-what, that always sent him to sleep. Just had to make sure he wasn’t thinking about the wrong person while doing it. While planning out his evening, he accidentally ran a red light. What a way to cap off the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was long and without too much payoff... sorry but keep your eyes peeled for the next chapters coming soon 💜


	4. The Zap

Hawk sighed and entered through the gates into the joint dojo. The group of kids gathered around a phone looked up and snickered even louder. Demetri was rolling his eyes, trying in vain to stop them. Hawk’s stride faltered for a moment, but he kept calm and found a spot a distance away to start stretching.

Sensei Lawrence walked out of the building. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, Sensei,” Mitch lied. He was so obvious.

“Tell me now or you’ll be doing push-ups all day - on your knuckles.”

He scared easy at the threat. “It’s a picture of Demetri and Hawk.”

“Give it here, Assface.” Johnny walked over and snatched the phone. When he saw what it was, his annoyance flared. He jogged back up to the stage, “Fall in!”

Hawk reluctantly joined the end of a row.

“It has come to my attention that some of you-“ (read: almost everyone) “find this picture funny.” He held it up, as if everyone hadn’t already seen it, and burned the picture into their brain with a branding iron. “I thought we went over this with Chris and Mitch. There’s nothing funny about making out with another guy. I bet all of you wouldn’t be laughing if you gave it a try yourselves. Look at me,” he pointed at his face, “not even cracking a smile.”

Did Sensei just come out? That’s what it was, right? He did it so casually too. And he grew up in the 80s - Hawk found it hard to imagine what it would be like back then. He almost didn’t clock Sensei Larusso joining Johnny on the stage.

“We didn’t really mean it; it’s just a joke. Anyway, Demetri’s got a girlfriend,” Mitch said. Thanks for the reminder, Hawk thought.

“Just cause the guy’s got a girlfriend doesn’t mean he can’t date guys at the same time.” Everyone opened their eyes wide. “What? You kids think I’m so backwards - well, I know more than I let on.“

Demetri raised his hand to butt in like they were in a classroom. “Actually, we broke up.”

What? So soon after... No. Keep your hopes low and you’ll never be disappointed - a Demetri-ism that could actually come in handy right about now.

“Too bad. I was starting to tolerate you. Anyway, if any of you wanna know more about that stuff, ask Larusso.”

“What?”

“Wait - you don’t have an open marriage?”

Daniel stammered, “N- no. Why would you-”

“Just thought there’s no way Amanda could stand waking up to _that_ every day.”

“So you’re on first name basis with my wife now?”

“Don’t worry, _Daniel_. It’s strictly business.”

“What business could you possibly have with my wife?”

Hawk decided now was a good time to zone out. The fights usually ate into their practice time until one of them realised how long they’d taken up. They were both so stubborn, never wanting to be wrong, treating conversations like hand-to-hand combat. It was almost impressive.

He could only keep his mind off the subject for so long. There’s no way the breakup had absolutely nothing to do with... _it_. He was glad, from a friendly perspective - Yasmin never treated Demetri with respect. She was still too embarrassed to be seen in public with someone like him; though honestly their social standings were pretty even now. Hawk guessed that in her eyes, Demetri was still tainted with the mark of past losership.

He decided to risk a quick look.

He made like he was stretching his neck and scanned across the group. When he found Demetri, he saw him look away quick enough to get whiplash. Demetri was looking at him. He felt giddy, like a damn schoolgirl. Keep your hopes low, he reminded himself. So incredibly low they’re six feet under, suffocating in their very own coffin.

Hey - the shouting seemed to have stopped, for the time being. He tuned back in as Sensei Lawrence called for them to partner up. Hawk made a beeline for Bert. It might have seemed like an unfair fight from the outside, but Bert was quite the little powerhouse now. He wasn’t always the first to get a move down, but when Hawk helped him understand it, he could execute it to perfection. In turn, Hawk was learning about the advantages of a more agile fighting style, as that was usually more effective for Bert than blocking. Right now, Hawk was just excited to have something else to attract his focus.

They fought until they were thoroughly sweaty. When Bert asked for a water break, Hawk took the chance to catch his breath for a second, but his attention was snagged by the senseis fighting again. It seemed really heated this time - it must have been about a karate technique, that’s what usually got them worked up the most.

“Alright, that’s it. We’re doing the goddamn balance wheel, Larusso. I’ll kick your ass at it.”

“There’s no kicking involved. We’re gonna be working together - like we should be now! But instead, you have to fight me at every turn-“

“I’m not fighting you, I’m offering suggestions.”

“Suggestions like we draw a penis on Kreese’s dojo?”

“I was drunk, dickhead. Doesn’t count.”

“When _aren’t_ you drunk, Johnny? Really, I’d love to know!”

“Alright, kids. Clear out! We’re doing the wheel.”

“Don’t act like that was your idea. It was mine!”

Hawk almost wanted to stay and watch the show, maybe grab some popcorn- or another snack, any other snack would do. He also wanted to get out of there, to avoid any more comments.

On one hand, he hated that he was just avoiding his problems like this. On the other, he didn’t want any repeats of his past mistakes, and he was still learning how to control his anger. It was the wisest decision to just walk away.

When he got home, he saw his homework on the desk and immediately flopped down on the bed with his phone instead. He checked his DMs. One from Demetri. He paled, but curiosity was a strong little tomcat, so Hawk held his thumb ready to open it. He took a deep breath and opened the message.

Dman2002: Hi

JustHawk: hey

Demetri’s typing bubble didn’t appear for a minute or two. It seemed a lot longer than that.

Dman2002: What did you think of Sensei Lawrence’s speech?

JustHawk: did he come out to us?

Dman2002: I think so

JustHawk: i wasn’t expecting that. cause he’s so old

Dman2002: IKR? He was so casual about it

Hawk wished it was that easy. He’d spent the past few days reading about the subject, trying to figure out something about himself. Hawk had come to terms with the fact that he was _something_ , but he didn’t know what. There were just so many labels, and so many experiences to compare to his own. The additional “research” he’d undertaken was also interesting, but ultimately unhelpful.

JustHawk: so what’s with you and yasmin? what heppened

JustHawk: *happened

Dman2002:...

Dman2002: We just weren’t right for each other

Dman2002: Can we not do this right now?

JustHawk: sure.

JustHawk: does it piss you off that the senseis keep fighting?

Dman2002: It certainly eats into the training time. They gotta release that tension somehow

JustHawk: haha yeah

Dman2002: What’s so funny?

JustHawk: ;)

Dman2002: Haha. Well Lawrence said he’s up for it lol

JustHawk: yeah

Demetri stopped replying for a bit. Hawk didn’t want this conversation to end so soon. It was one of the first decent one-on-ones they’d had in a while.

JustHawk: what r you doing rn

Dman2002: Watching Mighty Boosh. What about u

JustHawk: avoiding doing my homework haha

Dman2002:...

Dman2002: You could come over

Dman2002: If you want

Wow. An electric zap shot through Hawk’s body. This would be the first time going over to Demetri’s house since he shed the cocoon of Eli and emerged as Hawk. He carefully thought about what to say next.

JustHawk: eager for more?

That was way too much, even as a joke. He deleted the message and tried again.

JustHawk: anything to not do this essay

Maybe a little desperate. But he didn’t want to spend too long composing a reply.

Dman2002: Cool. So I’ll see you here?

JustHawk: yup 🤙

Hawk put the phone down and forced the feeling in his belly to settle with a few deep breaths (thanks Sensei LaRusso). He debated whether to change his outfit. Demetri wouldn’t have. He put his phone in his pocket and stopped at the door. Dammit. The helmet again. The walk wasn’t too long... He was really proud of his hair today. It looked perfect, even after practice. There was no way he was gonna crush it just for a little convenience. Hawk let the locks click behind him and set out on foot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another long one. sorry for the delay 💜  
> also yes there’s a little background lawrusso haha


	5. The Beer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again sorry for the delay  
> i just lost motivation for this project but i didn’t want to just upload this chapter when there was obviously a drop in quality. so i reworked it a little and also changed the chapter count so this is the last :)

Hawk arrived at Demetri’s house with little incident, other than a pebble in his shoe. He opted to message him again rather than ring the doorbell. The door opened promptly.

“Hey - come on in!” Demetri looked almost surprised to see him, as if he’d dropped by out of nowhere.

Hawk nodded in greeting and strode past him into the house. It still looked the same, but what really had the strongest memory was the smell - the fruity cleaning product and faint musk of a house where the windows haven’t been opened in a while. Demetri shut the door, and moved to lead him to the couch. The sound of the lock clicking felt final, somehow, and made the acid in his stomach swirl.

“I was watching Season 2 - but we can go from the start if you want,” Demetri offered.

“I don’t care. Season 1 isn’t as good anyway. It’s really unpolished.”

“Still the same as always,” he smiled. “I’ll restart the episode.”

Demetri sat down and fiddled with the remote. Hawk tried to judge the appropriate distance to put in between them. He ended up right next to the armrest, while Demetri was almost in the middle of the couch. There was a half-eaten bag of chips on the table, which didn’t look like they were for him.

“Got any beer?”

“Yeah. In the fridge.” Where else would it be, Demetri? Hawk was glad to get up anyway; he went and got two, one for each of them.

“Oh, I wasn’t gonna drink-“ Demetri protested.

“Well, _I_ wasn’t gonna drink alone.” Hawk smirked and cracked open his beer.

“Fine. Just one. Since my parents aren’t home.”

After they had exhausted Seasons 2 and 3, Demetri scrambled to change the DVD to the live show. He dropped the disk on the floor - twice - but he managed to get it in. Hawk had been watching him the whole time, laughing to himself when he fumbled. Demetri almost tripped on his way back to the couch.

“Dude, you are so drunk.”

“Speak for you- yourself.” He flopped down, head entirely too close to Hawk’s shoulder.

“Are you drunk enough to talk?”

“I’m talking right now.” Smartass.

“Wanna talk about Yasmin?” The question slipped out before Hawk could censor himself.

“Fuck,” he sighed. “Don’t ask me.”

“Just tell me.” He probably shouldn’t go down this line of questioning, but making a good decision right now seemed far too hard. Opening another beer was much easier.

“She’s just- she’s great. She kisses me all the time... I just thought that’s what it felt like. But then,” he paused for a long belch, and giggled at it afterwards. “It’s so stupid.”

“What?” Don’t say it don’t say it- “Then you kissed me?”

“It wasn’t even a real kiss. But, I just could feel that it would be so much better... with a boy.” He blushed and rubbed his throat. “I’m sorry, Eli. Didn’t wanna say it like this.”

“It’s okay. I’m- I would. With a guy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Good for you.” Demetri closed his eyes. His hair was messy, and little pieces were plastered to his face with sweat.

“So... I was your gay awakening,” Hawk smirked.

“Fuck youuu.” Demetri swore way more when drunk. It made Hawk break into a genuine smile; he never spoke like this normally, any and all emotions paved over with sarcasm. “So you knew already?”

“I didn’t think about it ‘til recently.”

His eyes opened fully again, and he sat up a little to look at Hawk. “So you liked it.”

“Whatever.” Hawk took a long sip from his beer.

“Hawk.”

“What?”

“Haaaaawkk,” he drew out.

“What!?”

Demetri sat up and moved pretty close to him. He put his hand on Hawk’s shoulder. Hawk’s eyes shot open, and his heart thumped unevenly in his chest. When Hawk didn’t say anything, Demetri continued:

“You liked it. I liked it. Draw the connection.” He mapped out some sort of shape in the air with his fingers. “Kiss me-“

But Hawk was already there. He closed the distance between them, lips slotting together perfectly like matching jigsaw pieces. They were so soft, and now so were Hawk’s, praise be to the lipbalm in his pocket. He put his arms around Demetri, caressing him up and down while they kissed. Demetri was a sloppy kisser - but he remembered what Sensei Larusso said about no bad students - so Hawk resolved to be a better teacher than Yasmin. Than anyone. He slid a hand up to run his fingers through Demetri’s hair. When he pulled it gently, Demetri hummed into his mouth.

It seemed an age passed before they pulled apart. Hawk stared, really stared at Demetri now, allowing himself to take in every tiny detail of his face, and to realise just how pretty he was.

“We should send this to the groupchat - fuckin’ show ‘em.” Hawk said.

“Don’t bring them up, jus- just kiss me.”

“Isn’t your mom coming back?” Hawk remembered. Demetri stuck his face in Hawk’s neck and started laying his mouth all over it.

“Just go to my room. She can’t see in the bed.” he muttered in between kisses.

“Yes she can. You are _drunk_.”

He pulled away and said “Drunk with lurrrrve,” before falling back on the couch, laughing so hard at his own joke Hawk thought he might choke.

“Shut up,” he joked with a light shove, “I have to go. She can’t see me drunk, she’ll call my mom.”

“Nooooo, don’t go.” His hands reached out feebly like antennae.

“Bye.” Hawk took a step back from the couch.

Demetri sighed. “Byeeeee.” Another bout of giggles. The simple act of saying words wrong was enough to entertain Demetri now, so Hawk felt right in leaving. He paced himself walking to the door. Little bit wobbly. He found Miguel in his phone and pressed call, closing the door behind himself.

“Hey man,” he sighed.

“Hawk?”

“I’m a little fuckin- drunk. Pick me up.”

“I can’t drive.”

“Shit. You gotta come get me.”

“I’ll get Sensei. Hang on.” He heard the impact of a door against the frame. “Are you okay?”

“M’pretty good. I just made out.”

“Yeah?” Miguel said, more focused on getting Johnny to answer his door.

“You know who it was?”

“Sensei, Hawk’s drunk. Can we pick him up-“

“It was him. You fuckers were right the whole time. You got lucky. I- I got lucky,” he snorted at his own wordplay.

“Hawk, I’m gonna hang up. You’re at Demetri’s house?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, don’t move. We’ll be there in 10 minutes, alright?”

Hawk sat down on the curb. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in his bed, headache stabbing through his skull like a screwdriver. He took some painkillers and flopped back onto the mattress, begging sleep to overtake him again. As he did so, he contemplated the night before, and that (combined with the painkillers) was enough to put a small smile on his face.

It had only been a week since that night, but it was so easy to slip back into the easy patterns they’d shared for years prior. Well, the patterns weren’t exactly the same. They had a lot more color to them now. Currently, Demetri and Hawk were loitering outside the dojo, trying to psych themselves up. They were going to walk in holding hands.

“You sure you’re ready?”

“Yeah. Like I said, can’t make it any worse, right?”

“I hope not. Let’s go,” and he slipped his hand into Demetri’s. They walked side by side through the gate. Everyone turned their heads as the two found a spot to place their bags. Among the shocked expressions there were a few genuine smiles, including one from Sam.

“Finally.” Mitch said.

“Say something?” Hawk said harshly, turning to him.

Mitch muttered some disagreeances and shrunk his neck into his shoulders.

Sensei Lawrence stepped up on stage, and gave everyone a once-over. “Hawk - I’m disappointed. You could do better. Demetri - this guy’s way outta your league. Don’t be stupid,” he cautioned. “Daniel, hurry up!”

Sensei Larusso scurried out, straightening his gi. He quirked his eyebrows at Hawk and Demetri, but said nothing.

“Alright, quiet! Today, you’re all gonna take a turn in the pond.”

“The balance wheel should help with your ability to sense movement. And how well you can work together.”

“Exactly,” Sensei Lawrence agreed. The students were pleasantly surprised by this display, although knowing their senseis it wouldn’t last long. They lined up by the pond.

Hawk and Demetri smiled at each other, and glanced down at their linked pinkies. This was the first practice in a while where they weren’t being talked about behind their backs. The first where they wouldn’t need to steal glances at each other, but could take them openly and endlessly. And the first technique they would truly learn together, playing off the other’s strengths and weaknesses, moving as one symbiotic being. This was gonna be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there you have it! hope you enjoyed 💜


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